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Wild Women in Quilting- Unlimited Possiblities Magazine Nov 2007


Karen McTavish

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Karen! I love it that you have tatoos! I turned 60 this year, and I want one! I thought about a "heart" of course, but maybe an Ohio Star? It\'s quite "quilty" don\'t you think? How could anyone object?

HA! You are wonderful and never let the Bas____ds get you down! Love your book! and your DVD and your song - you just rock on!

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Karen,

Remember, 2 things bring out the darkness in another person, your darkness of course, but also your light. YOU ARE A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT!

Your honesty about your past makes it okay for the rest of us to be honest about ours. Non of us are perfect, not even those who act as if they are. They know better, in their hearts. That\'s why they have the need to point out all the ways we should change to be like them. It makes them feel safe if it appears that the world is just like them, then they can feel "right" and not have to grow and change.

Keep pushing the edge and being yourself. It\'s a blessing to all of us, even those who don\'t think so. ;)

Keep shining, we can see your light from way out here in the boonies and it encourages us on!

Angels on your body.

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Now I know what I want for Christmas: a signed poster-size picture of Karen on her bike, hair flying and tattos blazing!! It goes without (my) saying, Karen, that your quilting is awesome, but, ever more importantly, you are a remarkable person. Your classes at Innovations were an unbelievable treat for me, and my husband was thrilled at your generousity in sheparding him around the quilt show judging. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself!

Very sincerely, Caroline

(and, please, give your mother a hearty thank you--I am so glad she forced your quilting hand and letting you be YOU!!)

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Karen...I have always admired your talent in the Quilting World and after meeting you this past year at Innovations, I have come to know you as an amazing woman...not only in the Quilting World...but also in the Music World...Recovery World, and Woman\'s World. There are people out there that could stand to learn a lot about life through your eyes. We as women are not cookie cutter women...and thank God we aren\'t. What a boring life it would be if we were all the same...and how sad life would be if we were all as judgemental as that one woman that is disappointed in you. I too am a woman in recovery...not in the same way as you...there are a lot of us in Recovery from things in our lives that we had no control over as children. Recovery comes in all shapes and sizes...Recovery can be from drugs, alcohol, physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse....all sorts of things...You are a woman that has (as I so fondly like to refer to) put on her "big girl shoes" and taken a better road for a better you. Good for you....YOU GO GIRL!!!!

I wish for you the best life God has in store for you....

I wish for you a life of happiness

I wish for you to never have to deal with another mean person that lacks tolerance and understanding

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Wow......

All I can say is THANK YOU to everyone who posted and gave me a GIANT head and those of you who checked out my band....I had a ton of hits.....now stop and talk about bindings and wavy quilts.

(I can take the negative comments all day long - but the good ones make me uneasy....when I get "cocky"....God or Karma or whatever- puts me back in my place within seconds.....as I look up for the falling piano).

If anyone would like to get Unlimited Possiblites - its a great magazine for those in this industry or on this chat. Here is the link: http://www.upquiltmag.com/subscriptions.html

Here\'s my one question....I am not in the loop -

WHY does Mark Lipinski get hate email? Does he have tattoos?? You asked me to ask......

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Iam sooo sorry that someone was THAT ignorant and mean to you! Hmmm, sounds like its time for a NEW tatto eh? Hows \'bout a big bright red one? lol....You know the ol saying...they feel so miserable about themselves, they gotta put others down! Wouldn\'t ya hate to be HER daughter-in-law?lollllllllllllll.............

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Hi, Karen! Let me tell you, you are our treasure! Let this ignorant person think what they will, you know what we think of you!! I can\'t imagine going to someone\'s website, seeing a picture of them and then feeling the need to send them an email just to tell them I didn\'t like what I saw. Strange sad little person!! Well, whenever you need a boost, just come here. We will always lift you up!! You are a special quilter, and a special person to boot!!

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Karen,

You have been an incredible professional inspiration to me and I respect your sensitivity and honesty with others. I admire your passion to grow where life takes you! Besides that, you have what it takes to look great in feathered arms -- wish I could only look so good! ;)

Joan

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Karen,

I want to add my 2 cents. I called you a couple of months ago and asked a dumb question about marking quilts and you (a big quilting megastar) actually called me back and gave me VERY helpful advice. I have all of your books and absolutely love your work and aspire to be as good at what I do as you are at what you do. As far as tolerance and tattoos are concerned, I really could care less if a person of age chooses to get tattooed. It is really none of my business and all of theirs. Period, end of story. I cannot believe someone would actually send you an email saying that. I happen to think your tattoos are neat looking. I also happen to think some people\'s tattoos are not so neat looking. But I certainly would never be so rude as to say so!! Whatever happened to politeness? So let me guess, somehow your lovely work is not as lovely now that someone saw your tatoos??? Good Grief.

Thanks for all you do for our industry and I look forward to reading the article with my copy gets here. Our mail is delayed due to the fires. HOpefully it will get here today!

Robin Kinley

Rockin\' Robin Quilts

Vista, CA

(In burned up San Diego County)

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Originally posted by OntheLAM

Now I know what I want for Christmas: a signed poster-size picture of Karen on her bike, hair flying and tattos blazing!! It goes without (my) saying, Karen, that your quilting is awesome, but, ever more importantly, you are a remarkable person. Your classes at Innovations were an unbelievable treat for me, and my husband was thrilled at your generousity in sheparding him around the quilt show judging. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself!

Very sincerely, Caroline

(and, please, give your mother a hearty thank you--I am so glad she forced your quilting hand and letting you be YOU!!)

Seriously! What a great idea! I\'d love a poster of Karen on her bike. Can you market those, Karen? Sell them on your website maybe? Autographed would be even better. I will NEVER again ride on a motorcycle because I\'m old enough to appreciate my mortality and don\'t want to deal with road rash, head injury or broken bones at my age, but I can fantasize, can\'t I?

And yes, kudos to your wonderful Mom!

Keep the shiny side up, Karen! ;)

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Karen, I love your tatoo and your independent spirit. I so hope I get a chance to meet you and take a class with you someday. I have taken classes with Sue Patten and she is definitely wild and crazy, gotta love her. She taught me a lot and I am still learning. Keep your individuality and style that is what makes you so special. Mean spirited people are not happy with themselves and seem to enjoy trying to bring others down as well. Put that person (I will not call her a lady) out of your mind, she is not worth a second thought.

From another admirer or your quilting and personal style. Janet

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Karen,

Loved your comment about looking up for the falling piano. On my desk for many years I have had the Far Side cartoon of "God at his computer". Guy is walking down the street with a piano over his head, and God\'s finger is poised over the "SMITE" button. Keep looking up, maybe you\'ll find inspiration for still more tattoos!

Beth

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Karen:

I\'m sorry you are going through this kind of rot. I met you once, briefly, at MQS.

What I noticed about you was the sparkle in your eyes, your excitement of the moment, the way you treated me as if I was a friend even though we\'d just met, the way you happily let us take pictures with you as if you had nothing else to do, the way you truly seem to love fellow quilters without the attitude or ego of some others I\'ve met, the way your personality and emotions are there for all to see instead of hiding what\'s underneath the way this other person apparently has to. That is just a part of what I saw in a VERY short space in time. You appear to be a "what you see is what I am" kinda person which is something I love.

I don\'t have any tattoos. Don\'t ever plan to have any. Do you hold that against me? I bet not!

All of us have likes and dislikes about others and the way others live. It\'s too bad she\'s looking for the dislikes and not looking for the likes, because she\'s missing the wonderful qualities of a great lady who could teach her alot about living (and quilting).

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I went to the Post office today and guess what? My Mom beat me to it! She had come and gone and was at home reading my magazine! And she \'s not even interested in LAing! Karen, You got the cover! WOOHOOOOO! And reading the posts above I finally found a word to describe you! You sparkle, Karen, ya just sparkle all over the place so I say so much for that "dark" thingie. I\'m really happy for you, things are good, huh?

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Hi everybody,

It does my heart good to see you all supporting another fellow artiste. We should all be so lucky as Karen to have talent, talent and more talent and guts to do what she does. We have all been somewhere, sometimes not where we planned, but if we have some sort of enlightenment and find a way to reinvent ourselves and come out on top we should sing our praises. Karen I\'m glad you have shared about yourself and your past and where you are today. You just may have saved some young gal or guys life by talking about hitting bottom and creating a place and employment for yourself. So many don\'t have that vision. And how will they know if we don\'t tell them?

I really feel sorry for people who have to criticize the way people look. If they would only realize that as they point fingers to those they don\'t approve of they should realize there are 3 fingers pointing back at them. Please feel free to send this to your disappointing fan and ask her to look at herself before she tells anyone how to live their life.

I love you and all that you do for us.

Jan:P:P:P:P:P:P

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Karen,

Sounds like this lady is a prime example of the phrase: "contemp prior to investigation". What a wonderful world recovery is and the possibilities it opens up to people! This poor lady pointed a finger and had how many pointing back? (I lost count). Guess she goes on that prayer list.

Keep smilin\'

Betty

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Karen, you mentioned that you want to conform. Well, don\'t! You need to be who you are because that what\'s makes you happy. If there are people out there who don\'t like it, too bad for them. Believe it or not, I get ridiculed and made fun of all the time because I don\'t watch tv or go to the movies. People can be so cruel, rude and ignorant. You are special just the way you are :)

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Personally I wouldn\'t have (another) tatoo.. I think the person who has them is the one to carry them off with the attitude. not our judgement of them. I don\'t like the negative stuff, that has the cocky negative attitude to go with it, . but I\'ve also seen some downright gorgeous tatoos and karens is one of them. one daughter has two cute little mice under her bikini line.. emergency appendectomy, and now I keep asking if the Dr. cut the mouses tail off...he didn\'t but sure came close.

I am also 67 years old, so DO understand, it\'s Your Body not mine. Just totally misunderstand and reply as though they were praising them. Might get the point across that it might be her opinion, but certainly none of her business.

BE yourself.. who can ask for more!

RitaRose

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Received my Unlimited Possibilities magazine yesterday and am waiting to read until the drive to Houston starting Tuesday, October 30. Caught myself trying to read the whole article while skimming through the mag because of this discussion.

Karen,

I have had the wonderful opportunity to talk to you at a couple of shows and your quilting is absolutely marvelous. Please keep up the good work that inspires the rest of us to keep trying new things and to get better at our quilting. I wanna quilt like you when I grow up. Okay, I am grown up already, but still a goal.

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I recently had a quilter tell me I should hide my tattoos until I am at least as famous as you Karen. She felt that no one would tollerate them on any lesser person.

So I now use a photo clearly showing one of them in my publicity. It seems to me that playing along just implies they are right to judge. I can\'t see the problem, your tattoos are even quilt patterns :)

I thought we were hired on the basis of our creativity, if it spills over into our personal style why would people be surprised?|

Ferret

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Go figure Ferret...some people just don\'t get it. You are so right, we all should be judged by our abilities not our dress or body art.

A short story...

Years ago my hubby went into a car dealership in Reno, NV with our financial in hand and all ready to set down a huge down payment on a new 1 ton truck.....(mind you that my hubby is a welder and in full welding gear does not look pretty, and can be pretty dirty and full of grease). The man came up asked him what he was looking into getting, hubby told him....he LAUGHED in my hubby\'s face turned around an walked away, stating that he wasn\'t going to waste his time, because there was no way he would qualify for a loan.

Two days later we ran to Sacramento and drove home with a new truck...and two years later ran back to Sacramento and got a second one, before the first one was paid for completely.

Just goes to show you people are just too judgmental, and its to bad.

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Originally posted by Bonnie

My thoughts for life is that if we all: "Walked the same path and beat the same drum, we would be just bumping into each other".

...now tell \'em, ta just bugger off, and come over to my side of the sandbox and play....I play nice. Promise I won\'t even hurt you....or make you cry.:P:P

Bonnie - I just LOVE what you said here!!!:P

Karen - you know how I feel! ;):D You might even have more

ink than I do by now..... I am ready for another!

You are a much better person than her, or me for that matter.

I think I would have included her name and email address!

The nerve of such a simple-minded person! I would love to

have her in a room with my man and have a little talk.....

The love the idea of feather tattoos..... you are a teacher & a quilter...... This is a wonderful way for a Tattoo Artist to learn to do Feathers!!!

Why not!?!! I have only let my man run my machine for about 30 sec. I kept having to

tell him to "SLOW DOWN!!" This is NOT your Harley!

He does have a great eye for design and color. If I am ever

stuck on a quilting idea, I ask him for advice!

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